LET’S CULTIVATE THE SPIRIT TO CONSERVE
Environmental issues in developing countries are critical problems;
they threaten to seriously damage not only developing countries themselves, but
also the entire international community.
There are three main targets that we all need to focus on to
achieve environmental conservation: to
deal with environmental pollution arising from rapid economic growth; to
eradicate poverty, which is one of main causes of environmental depletion in in
most developing countries; and to cope with global environmental issues.
Developing countries should thus put in place mechanisms to
tackle problems such as air and water pollution, waste management, energy
saving, water supply and sewage systems, nature conservation, flood control, and
system and institution-building. These environmental efforts will play an
increasingly important role in resolving environmental issues affecting
developing countries.
In order to resolve environmental problems in developing
countries, it is vitally important that we all assume primary responsibility
and role for tackling such problems through ownership and cooperation with
stakeholders in the international community in a spirit of partnership.
Promoting sustainable development through the pursuit of environmental
conservation and development is a global concern. In order to facilitate the
pursuit of environment conservation and development in developing countries, it
is extremely important that developed countries provide support for the
necessary environmental efforts in development, and extend cooperation for
environmental protection, taking into account the different economic and social
conditions of each country concerned.
In order to promote the integration of poverty reduction and
environmental conservation activities, incorporating environmental
considerations into all development plans and programmes is mandatory. We need
to support projects in which appropriate environmental considerations are fully
taken into account.
Even though developing countries have a substantial need for
assistance in the environmental sector, they tend to put a higher priority on
development projects, and therefore local needs in the environmental sector are
not reflected in specific project proposals. For this reason, governments in
developing countries ought to promote the giving of incentives for
environmental conservation and the raising of environmental awareness, through
policy dialogues, various forums, and other appropriate cooperation schemes.
In Kenya for instance, people do not have access to safe
drinking water, so the resulting reliance on the use of contaminated
groundwater leads to the spread of ill health. Moreover, the improper
management of water for agricultural use, which constitutes a large share of the
demand for water, causes salt accumulation that result in the reduction of the
productivity of farmlands. Consequently, many people engage in economic
activities that strain our natural resources.
Kenya enjoys a natural environment that has the world's richest
biodiversity, many of which is quite important for maintaining the world
ecosystem. However, we are unable to properly conserve our natural environment and
manage our natural resources on our own, because of the severity of our social,
economic, and technological conditions. In addition, many local residents
depend on natural resources for their living, so it is important that
conservation methods be compatible with poverty reduction efforts.
As we join the world to celebrate World Environment Day this
year, we all should aims to raise awareness about the impact of climate change
on our beloved country. There is much to be learned from the small island
countries from all over the world, which have overcome a number of
environmental problems with only limited resources.
